A wire tracer is an instruments that is capable of tracing wires, locating circuit breakers, finding faults and open-circuited and short-circuited wires. Wires are usually enclosed within a structure. It is difficult at times to tell their position within the structure. A number of electrical conductors are frequently routed through structures which hide the conductors from view and from accessibility. For example, a business has telephone, data and electrical wiring generally located behind the wall. The reason behind locating the wall within the structure is both aesthetic and safety. For the former, the buried line does not disrupt or deter from the appearance of business. For the latter, the interaction that could occur between the wiring and the employees is minimized.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps that may be followed in accordance with one embodiment of the method or process. This figure illustrates tracing a terminated line. When transmitting a signal on a terminate line, the reflected signal is very low. As the transmitted signal 28 pulse travels down the conductor 30 in the line 32, all of the signal's energy is absorbed because the cable has a constant character impedance.
After powering up the device, the preferred embodiment determines whether the wire 32 being traced is energized 38 or not. This is accomplished with the voltage detector circuit 18. It is important to note that an energized line permits a transmitted signal to transmit up to two miles in length. If the line 32 is not energized, a power booster is attached to boost the signal to achieve a two mile traceable signal.
As a result of the difficulty of tracing or isolating wires in walls or other conduits, or in a large bundle of similar wires, line or wire tracing devices have arisen as one possible solution in tracing embedded wires. Wire tracing devices generally include a transmitter for transmitting an electromagnetic signal along a wire to be analyzed. A receiver for wirelessly detecting the signal is positioned at another location along the length of the wire.
The electromagnetic signal is preferably a distinct modulated signal. The receiver acts as an antenna, receiving and supplying an indication of the captured signal.
There are many different existing types of wire tracers currently in existence. Previous models were produced only with a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter generated a 17 kHz signal and the receiver is tuned to pick up the 17 kHz signal. This specific model could only detect an energized circuit up to 300 volts and non-energized circuits. The problem with this model is that the transmitted signal is usually only able to be detected no more than three feet away from the transmitter.
In other equipment, the models can only trace energized lines at lower levels or only non-energized lines. These models cannot detect a combination of both an energized line and a non-energized line.
These previous devices were designed for professionals with deep knowledge in electronics and communication. The testing procedures can be a challenge for an less experienced technician. This is evidenced by the number of technical calls received by vendors of these devices.
Another problem with the current devices are their reliability. The devices on the market today are less then ninety-percent reliable. This is a fairly high rate of error in this particular field which can result in higher repair costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that is able to permit that user to use a single device to determine whether the line is energized, the voltage and the condition. It is further desired to have a device with a low margin of error and is able to detect a reflected signal from an acceptable distance away from the generation of reflected signal without regard to the position of the receiver.